Mauritius was the number one supplier of tuna into the UK in 2019, exporting 15.9 thousand metric tons. In previous years, Ghana provided a larger share of UK imports than Mauritus, with approximately 23 thousand tons of tuna in 2017. In order of volume, the next biggest suppliers were Ecuador, the Seychelles, and the Philippines. Total imports amounted to 95,556 metric tons of Tuna.
The UK Tuna trade in detail
The saltwater fish, depending on the species, varies drastically in size and weight. The species that gets imported to the UK in a higher volume than any other is the Skipjack tuna which grows to a size of up to a meter. The species accounts for over 90 percent of UK saltwater fish imports. During 2017, total imports were in decline for all formats and all but one species of Tuna, most worryingly this was the bluefin tuna. The Atlantic bluefin is considered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to be endangered, with Pacific bluefin tuna considered vulnerable. Nonetheless, bluefin imports went up by 210 percent in 2017.
Only negligible amounts of Tuna were imported fresh or frozen and close to 98 percent was imported in a prepared or preserved format. Nearly 70 percent of exports of Tuna from the UK went to the Republic of Ireland. Total Exports came to less than 5,000 tons of Tuna in 2017.
Tuna market
Retail sales of Tuna in the UK came to just over 400 million British pounds. Frozen and Fresh Tuna amounted for 53.5 million GBP. The retail segment of ready tuna meals is the smallest retail market segment and only made up 2.3 percent of the market as of 2019. Overall, tuna sales in the UK have declined by roughly nine thousand tons between 2013 to 2019.
Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin
(in metric tons)
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Seafish. (February 1, 2021). Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin (in metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/
Seafish. "Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin (in metric tons)." Chart. February 1, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/
Seafish. (2021). Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin (in metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/
Seafish. "Volume of Tuna Imported to The United Kingdom in 2019, by Country of Origin (in Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Feb 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/
Seafish, Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin (in metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Volume of tuna imported to the United Kingdom in 2019, by country of origin (in metric tons) [Graph], Seafish, February 1, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/511726/tuna-import-volume-to-united-kingdom-uk-by-country-of-origin/